Roma Lazio Derby Set to Stay on Sunday Following Worries Over Champions League Race
Five fixtures including the Rome derby will start at midday local time instead of 12:30 following a deal that overturns an earlier directive from the Rome Prefect to shift the derby to Monday evening.
The timetable for the derby influenced Como Juventus AC Milan and Napoli as all five games for teams chasing a top four spot must begin simultaneously and this caused ongoing disputes between football officials and security forces that lasted several days.
Serie A announced the updated start time resulted from talks between Italys premier football league and Romes Prefect along with the police.
The Prefects first instruction to reschedule the derby aimed to prevent overlap with the Italian Open mens final scheduled for 17:00 local time on Sunday just a short distance from the Stadio Olimpico home of Roma and Lazio.
crowds of tennis enthusiasts will flock to the Foro Italico as authorities seek to prevent conflicts between Roma and Lazio fans mere hundreds of metres away.
The fierce competition between Roma and Lazio ranks among Italys most intense and fan unrest has frequently occurred in and near the Stadio Olimpico during derby matches.
Derby Dispute
The effect of football games on the Italian Open a leading ATP Masters 1000 tournament became evident on Wednesday evening when the Italian Cup final coincided with Luciano Darderis tennis quarter final versus Rafael Jodar.
Darderi who secured victory in three sets did not commence his game until 23:00 local time owing to an extended rain postponement in the late afternoon.
His encounter was disrupted by smoke from fireworks launched from the Olimpico roof after Inter Milan defeated Lazio to claim the cup which wafted over and lingered above the centre court amid the moist atmosphere.
The situation grew absurd on Thursday as Romes administrative court chose not to decide on Serie As challenge to the Prefects initial decision and urged the involved sides to negotiate a settlement independently.
So much uproar has emerged among football fans enduring what may be the most dismal season in Italian football history that Romas dedicated supporter organisations declared they would boycott the game in objection.
Roma expressed full comprehension of this choice in an official release while gently encouraging reconsideration due to the matches significance.
Roma currently tied on 67 points with fourth placed AC Milan have been absent from the Champions League since their 2019 last sixteen exit against Porto.